Alexander

{{About|the male first name}}

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{{Infobox given name

|name = Alexander

|image = Istanbul - Museo archeol. - Alessandro Magno (firmata Menas) - sec. III a.C. - da Magnesia - Foto G. Dall'Orto 28-5-2006 b-n.jpg

|caption = Statue of Alexander the Great, whose fame popularized the name's use throughout Europe and Asia

|pronunciation = {{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|l|ɪ|g|ˈ|z|æ|n|d|ər}} {{respell|AL|ig|ZAN|dər}}
{{IPA|grc|aléksandros|lang|link=yes}}
{{IPA|el|aˈleksanðros|label=Modern Greek:}}
{{IPA|cs|ˈalɛksandr|lang}}
{{IPA|de|alɛkˈsandɐ|lang}}
{{IPA|pl|alɛkˈsandɛr|lang}}
{{IPA|ru|ɐlʲɪkˈsandr|lang}}
{{IPA|sh|aleksǎːndar, alěksaːn-|lang}}
{{IPA|sv|alɛkˈsǎnːdɛr|lang}}

|gender = Male

|name day = August 30

|origin = Via Latin Alexander, originally from the Greek {{lang|grc|Ἀλέξανδρος}} (Aléxandros), from {{lang|grc|αλέξειν}} aléxein meaning "to ward off, keep off, turn away, defend, protect" and {{lang|grc|ἀνδρός}} andrós, genitive of {{lang|grc|ἀνήρ}} anḗr meaning "man".

|meaning = "Defender, protector of man"

| nickname = Alex, Alec, Al, Xander, Zander

|related names =

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Alexander ({{langx|el|Ἀλέξανδρος}}) is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/192048201|title=Hellenisms : culture, identity, and ethnicity from antiquity to modernity|date=2008|publisher=Ashgate|others=Zacharia, Katerina, 1967–, Ζαχαρία, Κατερίνα, 1967–|isbn=978-0-7546-6525-0|location=Aldershot, England|oclc=192048201}}

Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Aleksander, Oleksandr, Oleksander, Aleksandr, and Alekzandr. Related names and diminutives include Iskandar, Alec, Alek, Alex, Alexsander, Alexandre, Aleks, Aleksa, Aleksandre, Alejandro, Alessandro, Alasdair, Sasha, Sandy, Sandro, Sikandar, Skander, Sander and Xander; feminine forms include Alexandra, Alexandria, and Sasha.

Etymology

The name Alexander originates from the {{Langx|grc|Ἀλέξανδρος}} ({{Lang|grc-Latn|Aléxandros}}; 'defending men'{{LSJ|a)le/candros|Ἀλέξανδρος|ref}}. or 'protector of men'). It is a compound of the verb {{lang|grc|ἀλέξειν}} ({{Lang|grc-Latn|aléxein}}; 'to ward off, avert, defend'){{LSJ|a)le/cw|ἀλέξειν|shortref}}. and the noun {{lang|grc|ἀνήρ}} ({{Lang|grc-Latn|anḗr}}, genitive: {{lang|grc|ἀνδρός}}, {{Lang|grc-Latn|andrós}}; meaning 'man').{{LSJ|a)nh/r|ἀνήρ|shortref}}.

The earliest attested form of the name, is the Mycenaean Greek feminine anthroponym {{lang|gmy|𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨}}, {{Lang|gmy-Latn|a-re-ka-sa-da-ra}}, (/Alexandra/), written in the Linear B syllabic script.{{Multiref2

|1=Tablet MY V 659 (61). {{Cite web|url=http://www.palaeolexicon.com/default.aspx?static=12&wid=217|title=The Linear B word a-re-ka-sa-da-ra|website=Palaeolexicon. Word study tool of ancient languages}}

|2={{Cite web|url=https://www2.hf.uio.no/damos/Index/item/chosen_item_id/5622|title=MY 659 V (61)|website=DĀMOS Database of Mycenaean at Oslo|publisher=University of Oslo}}

|3={{cite web|last=Raymoure|first=K.A.|url=http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/resources/linear-b-sign-groups/a/a-re-ka-sa-da-ra-qe/|title=a-re-ka-sa-da-ra-qe| work=Deaditerranean. Minoan Linear A & Mycenaean Linear B}}

|4={{cite book|title=The Mycenaean World|first=John|last=Chadwick|author1-link=John Chadwick|place=New York|publisher=Cambridge University Press|orig-year=1976|year=1999}}

|5=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080627021042/http://www.geocities.com/kurogr/linearb.pdf Mycenaean (Linear B) – English Glossary]

}} Alaksandu, alternatively called Alakasandu or Alaksandus, was a king of Wilusa who sealed a treaty with the Hittite king Muwatalli II c. 1280 BC; this is generally assumed to have been a Greek called Alexandros.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

The name was one of the epithets given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". In the Iliad, the character Paris is also known as Alexander.[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0073%3Aentry%3D*%29ale%2Fcandros Ἀλέξανδρος], Georg Autenrieth, A Homeric Dictionary, on the Perseus Digital Library. The name's popularity was spread throughout the Greek world by the military conquests of Alexander the Great. Most later Alexanders in various countries were directly or indirectly named after him.{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/alexander|title=Meaning, origin and history of the name Alexander|last=Campbell|first=Mike|website=Behind the Name|access-date=2019-06-10}}{{Cite web|date=2013-11-12|title=There Is Power In The Name Alexander - There Is Power In The Name Alexander Poem by alexander opicho|url=https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/there-is-power-in-the-name-alexander/|access-date=2022-02-24|website=Poem Hunter|language=en-us}}

People known as Alexander

Alexander has been the name of many rulers, including kings of Macedon, of Scotland, emperors of Russia and popes.

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==Antiquity==

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==Middle Ages==

==Modern==

People with the given name

People with the given name Alexander or variants include:

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In other languages

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Variants and diminutives

See also

References